5 insects you’ll find as home pets

Insects can make great pets if they are properly cared for. With the right food and environment, these tiny pets can avoid the stigma of being pests. While not everyone is a fan of them as household pets, they can be a fun and interesting. For many people, the term “insect” is often used to indicate any tiny creature that is an invertebrate, which means it does not have a spine.

Cockroaches

Not all cockroaches are created equally. While it might sound disgusting, frightening and even insane to keep a cockroach on purpose, a lot of people do. The Madagascar hissing cockroach has perhaps the most intimidating name in the insect kingdom but is often described as docile and easy to handle. These tropical vegetarians do not have wings. They can, however, climb out of their tank if it is not thoroughly secured.

Sometimes a colony of these insects will hiss in unison for unknown reasons. Rather like human musicians attempting to entice their fans, male hissing cockroaches will often hiss when courting females.

Ants

Ants are the most traditional types of insects kept as pets on this list. Ant farms are fairly common all over the world. They are also the hardiest insects on this list. They are able to contend with colder temperatures than most other kinds of insects. Keeping ants as pets is as simple as putting a small amount of food into the ant farm every few days, and some sugar water.

These industrious insects will dig their farm in a unique formation and assign the queen and workers to different sections. In longer-term ant farms, the ants may even produce new kings and queens. You can theoretically seed new ant farms this way, with new insects being born indefinitely.

Millipedes

Technically, millipedes are not insects but are still smell invertebrate pets. There are over 10,000 different kinds of millipedes in the world. Unlike their cousins the centipedes, millipedes move slowly and are strict herbivores. A millipede’s body is made up of many segments that each contain two pairs of legs. Technically, the term “millipede” means “one thousand feet,” but millipedes will really only have between 40 and 400 legs.

Ventrella Katydids

These are an unusual species of insects, and less commonly kept as pets than most insects. Katydids need a lot of moisture in the air. This is especially true when they are in their nymph stage. The adult males get very loud in their attempts to attract mates, so you may want to only keep female katydids. These insects are tropical and require high temperatures to live. Ventrella katydids also need moving air because they are sensitive to any stagnancy or mold in the air.

Spiders

Technically, spiders are not insects but arthropods. This makes them closely related to crabs and lobsters. Keeping a spider is easier if it is an active hunter, such as a tarantula. Catching spiders is fairly easy because they are everywhere. You only need to feed it once or twice a week with bugs you can find virtually anywhere. For your own safety, be certain in advance that any spider you attempt to catch is not venomous or dangerous.

Insects You Don’t Want as Home Pets

Not everyone likes the idea of keeping an insect or spider as a pet. If you have insects that have taken up residence in your home call Budget Brothers Termite & Pest Elimination so you’re no longer living with these pests.